The Aeroplane Boys Flight eBook

CHAPTER IX

“So, it’s Todd Pemberton, is it?”
remarked Frank, “I think it’ll pay us
to slow down a little, and look into this white rag-waving
business.”

“Goodness gracious! you can’t be thinking
that Todd is in touch with the bank robbers, can you,
Frank?” Andy exclaimed, astounded, apparently,
at the very thought of such a thing.

“Oh! I’m not up to that point of
saying anything—­yet. But all the same
it’s what I call interesting, you know,”
the other replied; and from this Andy could easily
guess that while Frank might have notions about the
matter, he did not care to commit himself so early
in the game.

“Yes, that’s so,” Andy replied,
still having his eyes glued to the binoculars.

“What’s doing now?” continued Frank.

“Nothing that I c’n see,” replied
the other.

“No more white handkerchiefs waving around the
point, eh, Andy?”

“Not a blessed thing; and Todd’s quit
too. Guess they’ve come to some sort of
an understanding. Wish I knew what seven, three,
five meant; something pretty interesting, I’ll
be bound.” Andy went on to mutter, half
to himself.

“Well, we can only guess, and that’s the
extent of it,” Frank was saying, in a rather
serious tone, as though he believed there might be
more in connection with the little affair than a mere
exchange of civilities.

“How about Todd Pemberton, Frank?” asked
the boy with the glasses.

“Well, you know him as well as I do, perhaps
better,” returned his cousin.

“I mean, wasn’t there once something against
him? I know, Frank, that my guardian signed a
paper about getting Todd his position with the steamboat
company this last spring; they always get him to sign
everything going, he’s so good-natured and what
you call an Easy Mark.”

“Yes, they came to my father too, and he put
his name down, I remember. As near as I can say,
it was a petition to ask the company to give Todd
the position of pilot; and stated the belief of all
those who signed that he would make good. He
used to be a pilot on Lake Sunrise, and before that
on one of the Great Lakes.”

“But, Frank, why the petition, if he was able
to fill the place you’d think all he had to
do was to make application, and then jump in?”

“Well, it seemed to be pretty generally known
about Bloomsbury that Todd had not always been as
straight as he is today; and lots of people believed
he would never hold his place a week; but he’s
had it all summer now, and seems to be giving satisfaction,
all right,” Frank went on to say.

“But there was a past, you mean; Todd had gone
the pace, and used to drink and gamble, I suppose.
Perhaps, now, he even used to herd with a tough set.
How about that, Frank?”

“It’s so all right. Todd got down
pretty low, and was even a hobo, I heard, before he
took a brace, and came back to Bloomsbury to make a
man of himself again.”